16 Plotting in Steele
by SteeleHere44
Summary: Story 16. Mr. Steele. A case. A Studio. Anything else?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer:

Remington Steele and its characters are owned by MTM. No copyright infringement intended. For entertainment purposes only.

Set after Season 4. Season 5 doesn't exist in my universe.

Prologue:

Monday morning at the Remington Steele Investigations Agency was always a pretty expectable day. This Monday morning, however, wasn't going to strike the average. Just when she was getting the coffee maker ready to start, the phone rang.

As Mildred never liked to start the week in a hurry, she got herself used to arrive earlier than business time on Mondays giving herself some spare time to check on unusual matters from unexpectedly busy weekends and to get everything in place, ready to her bosses' arrival. Before having the chance to turn on the brewing machine, the phone rang. She reluctantly left the supply room and walked to the reception area, "Remington Steele Investigations…"

The voice on the other side of the line sounded definitely serious, "Good Morning. I need to talk to Remington Steele."

"Mr. Steele hasn't arrived at the office yet. Who is it? Can I take a message for him?"

She heard some voices in the background, suddenly followed by a silence, "It's okay, Madam. Just tell him to come to the Police Station as soon as possible. We need his signature on some papers. Thank you." The line went dead, and the call was over before Mildred could ask anything.

She returned the receiver to the cradle but remained standing beside her desk, thinking about the unusual call for a while. They were not supposed to be working on any case that would lead them to the Police Station. Miss Holt didn't ask her to do any research, and no cases were pending to be solved at the moment. Today was supposed to be a quiet Monday Morning. And as the police officer asked for Mr. Steele, the call couldn't be related to Laura's family involved in an accident, Mildred deduced. She returned to the supply room. She would have to wait for her bosses' arrival to solve the riddle.

Chapter 1

Laura Holt walked noticeably furious through the Police Station's corridors looking desperate to get out of there; Mr. Steele following her suit.

"I can believe it took you three hours…"

"It didn't take me three hours, Laura. I came as soon as Mildred told me once I arrived at the office."

"Why can't you get up at an early time as any normal people? I've told you a million times you have to be at the office earlier, just in case some serious matter suddenly arises."

"I don't think this matter qualifies as serious as you are implying, Laura. The Police officer wrote you a ticket. Any mature person would have received the ticket, folded it and stored it inside the glove compartment. Mildred would take care of it in due time. What's the big deal?"

She stopped unexpectedly, Mr. Steele almost crashing into her. "What's the big deal? I've never been given a ticket in my life! I wasn't doing anything wrong!" She turned again and followed with her hurried pace.

"Well, we can hardly say raising your voice and threaten a Police Officer could be stated as anything wrong, can we?"

"I admit I could have been out of my usual calmed behavior Mr. Steele, but that doesn't allow him to arrest me! He accused me with no proof of driving at a dangerously fast speed. He didn't show me his badge when I asked him to do it. He ordered me to get out of the car and handcuffed me in the middle of Hollywood Boulevard first thing in the morning. I've never been treated like this in my entire life… It's humiliating! And as if all that wasn't enough, he set a record, Mr. Steele! I have a Police Record on my name because of him!"

At least this time the Police officer was the guilty one, and he was spared the accusation, he thought. He then tried to add some lightness to the matter, "Perhaps you do not appreciate the positive side of the whole situation, Laura. We are lucky it's your name on the Police Record. At least it's not mine, the one that's on the agency's doors…"

She interrupted him, "Would you mind shutting up? I have a headache."

He raised his hands in surrender and ran his right fingers over his mouth assuring her with his gesture that it would remain closed for the time being. He wanted to have the facts set straight, even with Laura not exactly looking at him, still walking a couple of steps ahead.

They were leaving the Police Station when she turned around and asked him, "Where's Fred?"

"Fred drove me here, and I asked him to leave. Weren't you driving the Rabbit?"

"The Rabbit is impounded. The Police found a duffel bag with some suspicious material sleeping inside the trunk. There were some lock picking tools, lanterns, ropes, black masks –all totally innocent things for a plain woman driving a plain white car, don't you think? I guess you didn't take our stakeout material out of the car as I asked you to do on Thursday, didn't you Mr. Steele?"

"I guess I forgot it, Laura. We got home at 4:00 am and were completely exhausted. I was going to do it, eventually…"

"Well Mr. Steele, guess who will be eventually talking with the Judge to put the impound order off?" She started to walk ahead alone looking for a cab, leaving him standing there without a smart response to give her.

It was going to be just an ugly Monday morning…


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Once back at the agency at least, Laura stepped straight to her office, walking in front of a silent Mildred. Mr. Steele decided to stop beside the secretary's desk to check the mail, surprisingly, a task usually executed by his wife but suddenly self-assigned to him in light of the recent events.

"What happened, chief?"

"She was arrested, Mildred. She, um…, had a heated exchange with a cop at Hollywood Boulevard, and the man decided an impound of the Rabbit was in order, along with all its contents, including the dangerous little woman attached to the driver's seat."

"She was arrested?" Mildred raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I don't see how we will be able to survive the day, Mr. Steele," said Mildred, an incredulous look in her eyes. "At least it was her and not you being arrested, boss. Miss Holt would have strangled you right after getting you home."

"It's just what I told her, Mildred. Let's say I purposely decided to leave the strangling part out of my speech to be safe. Not a good idea to add fuel to the fire, you know…" He left the mail he was looking at but not even remotely checking, and walked to his office. Once there, he noticed the connecting door was open. Laura was already on the phone. He made a few concealed steps in front of his desk deliberately, trying to catch some of her conversations without being noticed. She was speaking to Judge Harrison's assistant, making the arrangements to retrieve the Rabbit from the Police Station. Realizing it wasn't his expertise area but hers, he closed the door quietly, and once he was comfortably seated, he asked Mildred for some tea and resumed his delayed morning routines.

But luck was not by his side this Monday. Just after the tea was on his desk, the secretary announced a new client waiting to see him. Folding the paper aside, he decided it was safest to leave Laura out of the meeting. She was in a dangerous attitude for business after her complicated morning in jail. He asked Miss Krebs to send the client straight to his office.

A very young, attractive female came through the door. Mr. Steele noticed Mildred's warning glare and began the meeting cautiously. A stunning blonde in his office and Laura on a stressful day in the next room could be an excruciating combination if colliding.

"Good morning Miss Shannon. What can I do for you?" He moved the chair for her to sit down, and returned to his seat behind the desk.

"I came to the Remington Steele Agency because of a friend's recommendation. My father disappeared, Mr. Steele. I've looked for him everywhere. I don't know what else to do. I'm absolutely desperate."

"Why don't you start at the beginning, Miss Shannon? When did he disappear?"

"Last Wednesday is the last time I knew about him. We met to have lunch together, and after that, he didn't return to his office and never went back to his house either."

"And what does your father does for a living?"

"He is a film director."

"A film director? What a coincidence. I'm a film connoisseur. Wouldn't your father be Arthur Shannon, by any chance…?"

"Yes, he is. He would be thrilled to know you remember him. He's been through a rough patch over the last decade, but suddenly, an opportunity knocked his door last month. He's working on a special project. He has the actors, the crew and the locations. Everything is ready to start next week. The shooting should be done in about ten days. But if he doesn't appear soon, the time will be off, as well as the project."

Mr. Steele, who couldn't help himself, asked, "What's the movie about?"

"The plot is about filming a movie with no plot," answered the woman, certainty all over her face.

Mr. Steele's interest got caught in a flash. Although his film's knowledge seemed to be vast, he had never seen anything like a movie with no plot, at least willingly. He must have misunderstood. "Excuse me, but I don't get it. How will you make a movie if you don't know what it will be about?"

"The more I think about it, Mr. Steele, the less I understand. My father was a brilliant film noir director back in time. He worked with the best actors and actresses when he was younger. At some stage of his career, the Studios didn't call him anymore, and he lost touch with the industry. He spent the last ten years living in his past glories until this producer contacted him about a month ago."

At that very moment, Miss Shannon began to sniff and grabbed a handkerchief from her purse. Mr. Steele, known by being unable to ignore a damsel in distress, stood up and tried to comfort her, not only trying to be a gentleman but also attempting to keep the sobs out of Laura's dangerously trained ears.

The paper he hadn't read remained folded on the desk in front of them, and Miss Shannon's eyes, trying to find an object to fix her attention on to keep her sight off Mr. Steele's, caught one of the titles between sobs. She stood up, attempted to grab the paper in her hands, and without any warning, she suddenly fainted in Mr. Steele's arms. As it couldn't be in any other way, of course, that was the exact moment Laura chose to become a part of the meeting. She opened the connecting door, and the scene in front of her had a very uncomfortable Mr. Steele holding a fainted blonde in his arms. Laura's reaction didn't go unnoticed by him.

"This is unbelievable. I leave you alone for a moment, and the first thing I see when I decide to come into your office is a blonde in your arms...

"A fainted blonde," added Mr. Steele.

"Who is she?" Laura asked.

"She is a client Laura," answered Mr. Steele in a hurry. "She was conscious while exposing her case when suddenly; she stood up and decided it was opportune to faint in my arms. I couldn't let her go down. I'm just holding her, Laura. Do you have a smarter idea?"

"Put her somewhere. Just keep your hands off her. "

"Sure! I don't have any desire to be holding her for more time than is strictly necessary. Where should I leave her?

"Put her on the couch! I'm going to grab a glass of water." She was leaving the room, but then, her first instinct was to call the secretary into the office, "Mildred!"

When Miss Krebs opened the door, the scenery was more than bizarre. Mr. Steele was sitting dangerously close to the upper part of the client's body on the couch, fanning the woman beside him, and Laura was coming back from the bathroom, glass of water in hand. The woman had passed out.

"Should I call an ambulance, Miss Holt?" asked Mildred.

"I don't think it will be necessary, Mildred. Miss Shannon is already coming back to herself. Help me to get her to a better sitting position," said Laura.

Mr. Steele jumped from the couch offering some space for the female team to do their job. And finding the perfect opportunity to get as far from the fainted blonde as he could get. He decided to watch from a safer location, hiding behind his desk, using it as a barricade.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Once the client came back to life and seemed to be recovered, Mildred walked her to the door. Her bosses remained in Mr. Steele's office, to start their investigation.

"Miss Shannon gave us some clues to start looking for her father. Would you like to listen to them or has your endearing reading material exhausted your attention for the day?" asked Laura.

He lifted his eyes from his reading, "Aren't we getting this rough start to the week very out of hand, Laura? You know it's not necessary to be rude."

She sighed, "You are right. It has been a rough morning, and I have no right to take it all on you. I'm sorry." She looked at him regretfully.

Laura in a surrendering position was not an ordinary situation. He wasn't going to ruin the moment. Leaving the reading material aside, he straightened in his chair, "You have all my attention. Go ahead."

"We have a missing person, a disappearing date, shooting locations to explore and Mildred is making some appointments to meet the film producer who contacted Mr. Shannon. Where do you suggest we should get started?"

"Let's go to the Studio. As Miss Shannon didn't want anybody knowing about her missing father, we'll catch everyone fresh without knowing we are working to find Arthur." He stood up, and Laura went to her office to grab her purse and fedora. As the Rabbit was still missing in action, they called Fred and left the office.

They arrived at the Studio in the limo, a fact that urged them to get out of the car as far away from the filming location as they were able, avoiding the limo plates to be seen. The walk to their destination was made in partial disguise, blending between the studio crews carrying lighting equipment, racks of costume material and several elements to assemble the stage for the first few scenes. They wandered behind the scenes, trying to catch anything out of the ordinary, although that was becoming really difficult, not having any idea about what the ordinary should be. It was a Film Noir production, one of those in which Veronica Kirk usually starred. The film would be entirely shot inside the studio; no outdoor locations; and the crew was a noticeably small one. Everyone was busy working on everything. Multiple tasks for everyone were the implicit rule in the project.

"Excuse me, who are you?" one of the men standing behind the cameras approached and asked them.

Mr. Steele took the hint, and the show started, "Hello, I'm Mr. Shannon's personal consultant Vince Sale, and this is my associated, Miss Joyce. And you are?"

"Robert Renner. I'm Mr. Shannon's assistant on this movie. I'm afraid Mr. Shannon is not available now. He should be at a meeting with some of the Studio heads in about an hour. Would you like to come back later? He's a very accessible fellow. I'm sure he'll make some time to meet you even with his tight schedule for today."

"Sure," answered Laura. "We'll take a look around, and we'll return later, thank you."

"No problem," answered the man, returning to his previous task. It looked like they had the minutes counted with such short staff, and there was no time to lose worrying about some strangers wandering around the set.

"They are not aware yet that there will be no shooting today, Mr. Steele," Laura whispered him.

"Well, I'm not sure about that, Laura. There must be someone in charge when the director is off the scene. Mr. Renner looks like the capable one."

"He could be taking advantage of the situation to achieve some experience," said Laura, not stopping her visual exploration of the set. "We should go in separate ways, and meet here in half an hour. What do you think?"

"I'll go to see the actors. You go attack the technicians. They seem to be paying some unexpected attention to your back. Do you think you could play coy and use your charm, Laura?"

"I sure can play coy, Mr. Steele. But only with one condition."

"I'm listening."

"Avoid the blondes for today. One fainting woman landing in your arms is enough to make my day. Will you?"

He glared at her, showing a tentative crooked smile. "Jealous?"

She stared at him, "No, cautious. I've spent my morning in jail. Don't want to be back there before dawn."

"I don't see the danger, Laura. Are you planning to hurt someone?"

"No one in particular… Yet. Keep your hands off blondes, and I'll keep mine off you. Am I clear?"

"Crystal clear, Laura. See you in half an hour."

They departed to work on their different tasks. While Laura talked to several technicians working around the set, Mr. Steele walked to the trailers around the studio. He stopped by the nearest one, with the Director tag on the chair outside, and knocked on the door. Nobody opened it. After checking sideways, he decided to get inside. The lock was open, and the place was deserted. There were a few empty coffee mugs on the table, some clothes on the bed, but nobody in sight. Looking through the owner's personal stuff in the closet, he found a gun. He checked it and found a bullet in the chamber. It was ready to be fired. He put it back carefully in its original position right after cleaning it with his handkerchief. Just when he was turning to leave, everything went black.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Laura was waiting for Mr. Steele after her investigation was concluded, as planned. But there was no clue about his whereabouts.

"That man… he can't be on time even when we are working undercover… He should have been here about fifteen minutes ago…" She whispered to herself. She couldn't take off her mind his image from that morning at the office, holding a fainted Miss Shannon in his arms. Even if he had been wrong about not calling her into the meeting for a start, she couldn't help but think that it was a casual situation. He was too much of a gentleman to leave a woman fainting without trying to catch her in the fall. It wasn't a suspicious situation. Even if it the image was returning to her continuously, she forced it off her mind. It was pointless. Besides, knowing him and his charms, after the uncomfortable situation at the office he'll probably try to redeem himself by rewarding her later, once work duties were over leaving them all alone, enjoying their privacy. He was always eager to reassure her that she was the one, the only one for him. And she was always keen to accept that reassurance.

Checking the hour on her wristwatch for the last time she noticed it was getting more than late. She decided to look for him.

When Mr. Steele opened his eyes, he was laying on the floor. The back of his head was hurting. He stood up, and at the moment he turned himself to get out of the trailer, the door opened, and a butler appeared in sight.

"Who are you?" The man asked him.

In a real effort to talk, he answered, "I'm Mr. Sale, and you are…?"

"I'm the butler," he answered, absolutely serious. "You look pale…" he added, not making any attempt to help him to get up from the floor.

Mr. Steele rubbed the back of his neck, "That's because I've just fainted. I'm not feeling well…"

"Should I hold you?"

"You're a butler, not a catcher," he answered with certainty. I can hold myself, thank you. He finally stood up, straightened his clothes, and after checking the absence of blood in his wound, he turned back to get out of the trailer and find Laura.

Just when he was walking out of the trailer, he saw her walking right in his direction.

She noticed his haggard expression, "What happened to you?"

He rubbed his head on the sore spot, "Someone clonked me on the head. I fainted, and when I woke up, a butler tried to hold me."

"Please tell me it was not a blonde butler."

"I don't know. It was a bald butler."

Laura proceeded to check on Mr. Steele's nape, barely touching the sore zone.

"Ouch!" complained Mr. Steele.

"Sorry," said Laura, taking her fingers off his head. "Let's go. We are done here for today. You are not in shape to do anything else. Your head needs to be checked at the ER. You may have a concussion." She turned him towards the exit. "At least this time you didn't lose your memory. Smile Mr. Steele, you don't need to be clonked again."

"Nothing like you when you're practical, Laura… However, this time I wouldn't mind being pampered instead of being clonked."

"Should I take that as a hint? I'd love to pamper you for once. I'm going to make dinner for you, Mr. Steele."

"Ordinarily, this would not be the specific pampering I would have in mind. Somehow, being clonked doesn't sound that bad anymore…" he whispered to himself.

They were walking to the spot where Fred was waiting for them, when Laura noticed someone dressed as a butler, speaking to a police officer near the trailer where Mr. Steele's incident had happened. She was ready to ask her husband about the man when she saw the police officer sneaking a gun from the other man's hand, and putting it in his own holder.

"Something doesn't look right in that scene, Mr. Steele," she whispered in his ear.

"That's the butler, Laura. What do you think we should do?" He asked.

"Mr. Steele… It's been a long day. We'll follow with the investigation tomorrow. We still have to drive by the grocery before going home." She looked at him "Are you alright to walk by yourself or do you need to lean on me?"

"I think I'm able to walk without help, Laura. However, that doesn't mean I would not appreciate holding your hand the rest of the way."

She looked back at him. It wasn't usual for them to show their affections in public, but they were working undercover at the moment. Who would care if Miss Joyce walked hand in hand with Vince Sale?

"Steaks, potatoes, cream, leeks… I wonder what you have in mind for the menu, Laura."

"I'll try something Frances taught me the other day. It looked fine for me to manage it, and she seemed very enthusiastic about it."

Mr. Steele grabbed a pound of Swiss dark chocolate from the shelf and put it in their cart.

"Are you getting a sweet tooth, Mr. Steele?"

"Not remotely like you, Laura. But for some reason, I'm sure you'll make the occasion inviting." He looked at her, "Will you?" He said the words trying to sound nonchalant, but she caught the flirting in his words, and that stole her breath in advance. She was getting used to enjoy their banter and teasing and to notice the sensuality in his look when he stared at her and sketched a crooked smile once he was caught by her inquiring eyes. A client walked beside them, slightly elbowing her from behind while intruding into their private moment. Feeling they were walking into compromising territory, still at the shop, she pushed the cart to the check out area.

Once they arrived at Rossmore, Mr. Steele lay down on the couch and closed his eyes, while she took charge of the kitchen. Miraculously, dinner was a success. Laura had been developing some excellent skills after watching him periodically and asking for some extra advice from her sister. The outcome was more than satisfactory.

They cleared up the dishes and relished a moment in front of the fireplace. While Mr. Steele was more quiet than usual, Laura's mind couldn't stop wondering. Tonight's peace was pleasantly entrancing and, closing her eyes; she pushed her mind into a different level. She thought about the way he used to kiss her in their evenings in front of the fireplace; slow and softly at the beginning and sweet but absolutely passionately at the end, both entranced in giving themselves to each other until they felt they were each other's continuation. There was no possibility of existence without that fulfilling sensation. They were destined to share a life together. Even in the calmest moments, they rested in each other's presence. And somehow, after any tough day, the difficult times vanished once they found themselves in each other's arms. And it felt absolutely fabulous.

Realizing after a while that he had fallen asleep, she stood up and, after kissing him sweetly in his brow, she took his hand and called him to bed.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Mildred came into Laura's office and handed her a report. "Here's the information you asked for, Miss Holt. It looks like Mr. Shannon is not in any trouble. Not legal, nor economic. The man is wealthy. It looks like he's developed a nice real estate portfolio through the years."

"So, if he's wealthy and he's not involved in any legal issue, why didn't he show up to start with this project if it's supposed to be his coming back to the screens?"

Right at that moment, Mr. Steele opened the connecting door."He didn't show up because he couldn't, Laura. Someone is trying to boycott his project."

"How can you be sure of that, if we don't even know what his project is it about?" asked Laura.

"Right at this moment, I suspect he is the only one who knows what the project is about, Laura. I think he's trying to maintain it in secret because there is a third party involved, not happy to play a part in it."

Laura stared at him, not understanding the meaning of his words. Could it be that the hit on his head would be making him delirious? She tried to remain serious, "I'm not following you, Mr. Steele."

"Me neither," said the secretary staring at him as well.

"Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, Steve Martin, Rachel Ward, Universal, 1983. It's a film noir parody. A detective uncovering a sinister plot." He nodded his head in acknowledgment, looking at them.

"And?" Laura and Mildred asked at the same time.

"In the movie, a scientist's daughter is convinced that the reported death of her father in a mountain car crash was no accident. Her father was a prominent cheese scientist working on a secret recipe. To prove it was murder she enlists the services of private eye Rigby Reardon."

Laura couldn't help but notice the gaps in his reasoning, "I don't see a perfect parallel with our case, but let's give it a try. We do have someone who has disappeared, although still not confirmed dead. Our client could be working on a secret project, not involving a secret cheese recipe but a film noir movie with a secret plot. And while looking for a clue, you got injured in your head, and the most suspicious situation we found out right after that, was that gun exchange at the studio alley. How did the movie plot follow?"

"Well, the detective finds a slip of paper containing a list of people who are The Friends and Enemies of Carlotta. Searching for answers, Rigby encounters assorted low lives, dangerous men and women who were the hallmarks of the classic detective movies of the 40's and the 50's. Filming in black and white, allows scenes from old movies to be cut into these films. It is through this process that Rigby's assistant is none other than Philip Marlowe himself."

"First of all, Mr. Steele, we didn't find any slip of paper containing any list…"

"Yet," Steele interrupted.

"Yet," Laura conceded. She stared at him with a suspicious look. "Are you feeling alright? That idea about Philip Marlowe being your assistant sounds, at least, like one of your fantasies come true. Although, I could feel comfortable exchanging my usually assigned assistant role with Humphrey Bogart for once," she added.

"What if instead of a piece of paper full of names, the gun I found at that trailer was the clue. We saw the butler giving it to the Police officer after all. And everything suggests it was the officer's gun because he wasn't carrying any other in his holder."

"Go on. It's starting to sound interesting," Laura encouraged Mr. Steele.

"As I recall, the gun I found at that trailer wasn't a police one. I think it could be connected with Shannon's disappearance."

"I think you're onto something, Mr. Steele. Yet, we can't figure out Shannon's disappearance motives."

"What if the one boycotting his project is not boycotting the project itself but Shannon's participation in it?"

"That can be possible. Who could be the one directly benefited by Shannon's disappearance?"

"Robert Renner!" They exclaimed simultaneously.

"He would be directing a project with all the special resources that would come along with it. A project that had not been designed for a newbie; but for an experienced professional. And in a sort of way, he would be taking the bows, with Shannon collecting the blows after his disappearance," added Mr. Steele.

Right at the moment he finished his words, he looked at Laura. Wasn't that the phrase she was always repeating in the past as a litany, at the time he had joined the agency? It looked like she was thinking the same thing, because after a moment she rose up from her chair and walked to his office, looking slightly uncomfortable.

Mildred decided to take part in the conversation after a long silence, "I'm going to look for something on Renner. I would ask you to find the butler's name, Mr. Steele, but for some reason, I don't think you'd be eager to go back to the studio. I'm not sure Miss Shannon will know it, though."

"I'll go to talk with Renner, Mildred. Call Fred and ask him to meet me downstairs in twenty minutes," said Laura.

He followed Laura back to her office, "You are not going there alone, Laura. I'm going with you. I'm not going to be left here with nothing to do while you're out there, retrieving clues in a dangerous location."

"Let me settle this straight Mr. Steele. I am going to do my job, as usual. And you are going to retrieve the Rabbit from the Police Station. Your negligence at leaving our stakeout equipment in the Rabbit's trunk was the reason I was arrested yesterday; and in an attempt to be generous with you after my outburst, I arranged all the formalities with the Judge's assistant. You have to go to his office, get the order, and then back to the Police Station to retrieve the Rabbit." She finished her statement without giving him the chance to retort, standing right in front of him, threateningly invading his personal space.

"And how am I supposed to go to the Police Station if you're taking the limo? As the Auburn is still at Rossmore, I guess we should take a ride together." He told her triumphantly.

"Do you remember how we returned from the Police Station yesterday, Mr. Steele?" she asked him starting to lose her patience.

"Of course I remember, Laura. My memory remains intact after the clonking exercise this time. We took a cab."

She stared at him for a moment and turned towards her office.

"Got it. I'll take a cab."

"I knew you'll solve it, Mr. Steele. And please refuel the Rabbit's tank. I was in a hurry yesterday and didn't have time to stop at the gas station. You'll have plenty of time today. Take care of my beloved car, and I'll return the favor later."

"Your time in the kitchen is over, Laura. You'll have to think about a different way to take care of me."

"I can think about a few ideas, Mr. Steele. See you later."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

As Laura realized she was banned from having any kind of conversation with Renner because of their previous introduction as Shannon's personal consultants, a fact that would surely push Renner to decide not to cooperate, she decided to send Fred instead. She asked him to play his very own and real role: a chauffeur. He had seen the butler in the alley after all, and like a well-trained agency member, he would find the way to accomplish his commissioned task.

Once they arrived at the Studio, Fred took his hat off and changed places with Laura, who was supposed to be the driver in this charade. He got out of the limo as Laura drove the car far from view and parked, waiting for him.

In the meantime, Mr. Steele got the retrieving order from the Judge's office, not without remaining still while being lectured by the man's old assistant. Finally, he was driving the Rabbit looking for a gas station after all that. He was surprised Laura hadn't run out of gas the previous day. There was barely vapor left in the fuel tank. After paying for his gas, he started the engine ready to follow his way back to the office, when he noticed a Police patrol stopping near the shop, and a police officer walking to the gas station's facilities. He recognized the agent's face. It was the one retrieving the gun on the set. He smiled triumphantly and remained concealed in the car until the officer was gone. Then, he decided to play the part like the detective he was.

Luck appeared to be always on his side while collecting information for a case when females were involved. Looking through the shop window, he noticed an old woman behind the cash register. Straightening his shoulders and rearranging his cuffs and tie, he stepped inside. Marvels in full swing, it took him barely three minutes to extract the officer's name from the old lady, and even to receive delicious chocolate baked bribery from her on his way out, as a reward for being deliciously charming.

Once Mr. Steele was back at the office, he told Mildred the Police officer's name, and she began executing her routine. He was deliberating about the place for a dinner reservation that evening, when Laura arrived like a hurricane into his office, the big smile on her face betraying her. She had found something interesting in her afternoon tour, no doubt.

"I found something," said both at the same time. "Go ahead," at unison again. Mr. Steele invited her to follow with a gentlemanly gesture.

Laura took the hint then, "It turns out that the butler you met yesterday at Shannon's trailer is not an actor participating in the movie."

"If he's not an actor, what was he doing inside Shannon's trailer dressed as a penguin?"

"Don't be disrespectful, Mr. Steele. The man was dressed as a butler because he IS a butler; Shannon's butler to be more specific."

"And what was he doing there if Shannon wasn't? He might have known about his disappearance…" said Mr. Steele.

Realizing Laura's doubt, he took advantage of the moment, stood up, walked to Laura and putting his hand on the small of her back, he pushed her slightly towards the door.

"Wait! Where are we going?" she asked trying to find out what was on his mind.

"Where are we going? It's been ages since our last meal together. Don't you feel a little lighter than this morning Laura? Let's go grab something to eat, and we'll share our findings while nibbling on something tasteful."

Realizing it was a waste of time to argue, Laura grabbed her purse, and they were out of the agency in a blink. Even if she wasn't ready to stop working yet, she measured the options. On the one hand, he was right. They hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, and that was many hours ago, after all. He might be starving. On the other hand, as it wasn't that late, they would have some time to stop by the office and check on Mildred's findings of the case later.

Besides, he was usually in a good mood after eating. Laura would have a better chance to induce him to elaborate some case theories on a full stomach rather than on an empty one.

She tried to introduce the case into the conversation once the food was on the table, but this time he was determined not to follow her in the attempt.

"You know Laura; life might be balanced between what you need to do to have food on your table, and what you do once you already have it. You can't push too hard. Enjoy the food, and we'll go over the case again later, once back at the office. We need a break from time to time. If not, we'll get too involved in work that we'll not be able to remember the reason why we were doing it in the first place. We are too busy jumping from case to case that we forget to enjoy the meantime. We need to find a peaceful moment for ourselves with no cases interrupting us, and some time to enjoy our comfortable solitude together."

She was speechless; just the previous evening she'd thought about how great she felt sharing peaceful moments with him, without even the need for a conversation to feel comfortable. Were they entirely in sync at last? Perhaps spending all that time together was getting to her… No. It wasn't that. He was already taking up space in the thickest part of her heart. She was totally lost in him. Or perhaps she was finding her better place to be, beside him. And it was feeling utterly enjoyable. Noticing he was staring at her, she smiled at him, "You are right. Let's enjoy the moment."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Once back at the office, they found Mildred waiting for them. The research was over, and there were no significant improvements in their investigation. Laura suggested brainstorming at Mr. Steele's office. Mildred was in charge of the coffee, while Laura arranged some cards with the pieces of information they already had over the desk.

A man was missing. His daughter had hired the agency to find him. He was a film director, getting an opportunity to work again after some years out of the business. They discovered his butler in the filming location after a week of Shannon disappearance. The butler met a policeman outside Shannon's trailer and handed him a gun. The policeman put it back in his holder.

They started shooting ideas when something came up. Mr. Steele checked the characters backgrounds and suddenly found a crossing point.

Mr. Shannon and Robert Renner's mother, Marguerite Renner, had met in their earlier years while attending the same college. They were together back then, and their relationship broke up after a few years, just before graduating. Considering Robert's age, she must have gotten pregnant in the following months. Could Robert Renner be Arthur Shannon's son? But, what about the butler at the shooting location instead of working at Shannon's house? There must be an explanation. They decided to go find it, starting by looking for it at Shannon's trailer, the place where Mr. Steele had been injured.

They arrived at the studio in a rush. Shannon's trailer door opened after a few knocks. But it wasn't Shannon who answered it. Neither was it his butler. Erin Shannon stood in front of them for an instant, before inviting them in. "Mr. Steele, Miss Holt, please come in." She stepped aside to let them in.

Laura was the first to notice him sitting at the table. She stopped in her tracks. Then she saw the butler sitting beside Shannon, and finally the policeman across from him.

"Come in Mr. Steele," said Arthur Shannon, "Have a seat, please."

They joined the men at the table, and after a moment, Erin brought glasses and offered the new guests something to drink.

"I suppose you're wondering where I had been the last week," said Arthur.

"Would you be so kind as to enlighten us?" answered Mr. Steele dryly.

"I've been right here the whole time."

"Why were you hiding in here?" asked Laura.

"Erin just told me she was worried and hired you to find me. It wasn't my intention to worry anybody. Allow me to give you an explanation."

"Be my guest," said Laura.

"This project came to me, absolutely unexpectedly. My director career was absolutely fulfilled years ago. I felt I'd achieved my best long ago. There was no point in directing again, keeping opportunities from talented young directors."

The detectives shared a brief glare.

"When this opportunity came up, I decided I would do something for someone deserving the chance. You know the studios move by money. Talent is mostly underrated these days. All that matters is a huge income and satisfactory publicity. Somehow, unknown but talented people remain in the shadows waiting for a miracle. I decided to give someone a push to come out from the shadows, Robert Renner. My participation in the project would assure him enough resources to achieve success all by himself, directing the project in my absence. I had my moment back then and enjoyed it enough. Time for someone new to show up."

"Why Renner?" asked Laura.

"I met Robert's mother, Marguerite, when we were young. We fell in love. But after some time we decided to part our own ways. We met again a few months ago after one of the project meetings was over. Marguerite didn't have an easy life as a single mother after a brief but complicated marriage that left her with a baby to be raised all by herself. It was my chance to do something for a talented man, the son of a lovely lady and a good old friend of mine."

The room remained in silence. Erin put her hand over his father's.

"He's always had a good heart," she said smiling proudly.

"What about the gun I found here?" Mr. Steele asked.

"While I hide in here, my good friends Anthony and Ernest came to my rescue. We shared some poker nights to kill time, in a manner of speaking. Somehow, one evening Anthony put the gun on the shelf and forgot all about it after a few drinks. When I noticed, I hid it where you found it. I didn't want to leave it in plain sight. Ernest returned it to him the next day."

"And after I found it, it was clear I had to be out of the picture for a moment," added Mr. Steele.

"I hid in the bathroom when I saw you. I didn't know what else to do. It was then when I thought you were going to look inside the bathroom. I got desperate and clonked you on the head. Then Ernest told me to remain there because he was going to take care of the situation. I locked myself in there again, and it was then when you opened your eyes. Please excuse me if I hurt you. It was never my intention."

"Mr. Steele had been developing some clonk resistance through the years. He'll be fine," added Laura looking at her husband, suddenly amused.


	8. Chapter 8

Epilogue

"Please tell me you've had enough…" begged Laura."I'm exhausted. I don't think I'm able to endure another round. Let's go to sleep. We can resume it tomorrow morning first thing. I promise I will put my whole spirit into it. But now, I need to rest."

"Tomorrow's Thursday, Laura. It's a work day. You know you will find an excuse to get up and run off to the office without giving us a chance to resume our private viewing party."

"This is not a private viewing party anymore. It's been long since it became a torturing session for me. It's half past eleven, Mr. Steele. Give me a break! Those film noir movies are definitely not my thing. I really like a good acting performance. I actually endured some not so good ones from time to time, but I'm exhausted! Listen to me, I'm going to promise you a Sam Spade marathon for Saturday, but let's call it a night right now."

"A Sam Spade marathon… On Saturday?" he pretended to be thinking for a while… "I think I can wait for that. Will you play Brigid O'Shaughnessy for me?" he asked her totally thrilled.

"I'll play whatever you want. Just let's go to sleep."

"You know we are not going to sleep yet, do you? I have a last but not resting activity planned for tonight," he wriggled his eyebrows.

"Of course you have…"

He stood up from the couch to turn off the VCR. Then grabbed the empty glasses and brought them to the kitchen. Laura took the chance to close her eyes for a brief moment and exhaled a deep sigh. When she opened them, he was walking towards her extending his hand for hers. A piano chord sounded from the stereo, and Laura couldn't help but smile at him.

"Just play it, Sam."


End file.
